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Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000010252837 | NA735 .L55 H56 2010 f | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
An authoritative survey of the masters of twentieth-century modernist architecture in Los Angeles. This revisionist study explores the history of modernist architecture in Greater Los Angeles from the early twentieth century to the 1970s, focusing on both its regional and international contexts. Thomas Hines critically analyzes the concepts of modernism and regionalism and begins his exploration by contrasting the turn-of-the-century Craftsman work of Charles and Henry Greene with the rationalist modernism of their contemporary Irving Gill and the expressionist modernism of Frank Lloyd Wright and his son Lloyd Wright. The book re-interprets the modernist variations of Wright's disciple Rudolph Schindler and the International Style of his contemporary Richard Neutra, as well as of their followers: Gregory Ain, Raphael Soriano, and Harwell Harris. The minimalist Case Study House program is contrasted with the sensuous modernism of John Lautner and with the large-scale modernism of William Pereira and Welton Becket. Hines ends the book in the early 1970s, as modernism began to confront the challenge of the post-modernist critique. A personal epilogue reflects on the author's exploration of Los Angeles modernism from the late 1960s to 2009.
Author Notes
Thomas S. Hines is Professor Emeritus of History and Architecture at UCLA, where he teaches cultural, urban, and architectural history. His books include Irving Gill and the Architecture of Reform and Richard Neutra and the Search for Modern Architecture. Hines has held Guggenheim, Fulbright, NEH, and Getty fellowships. In 1994 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Reviews 1
Choice Review
Hines (emer., UCLA), author of the standard work on Los Angeles architect Richard Neutra (Richard Neutra and the Search for Modern Architecture, 1982), surveys in Architecture of the Sun the 70-year development of modern architecture in Southern California. Within this development, Neutra occupies the central role, synthesizing concepts from his Viennese teachers, Bauhaus masters, and local predecessor Irving Gill, and spreading his rigorous ideology to many younger architects. Hines provides valuable new perspectives on Neutra's relationship with his erstwhile collaborator and rival, Rudolph Schindler. While recent scholarship has focused on Schindler, this work reappraises the rivalry, with Neutra coming out as the steadier and more productive of the two. The book, however, may be too Neutra-centric. It fails, for example, to discuss influences emanating from Northern California regionalists on the south. Other problems have to do with its scale and editing. Rarely does Hines connect related points made in different chapters; the same quotes are redundantly reused in spots. He uses no figure numbers to tie the excellent photographs to his text, and few plans are included. Despite its flaws, this volume provides rich biographical information and insightful building analyses. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers. A. R. Michelson University of Washington Libraries
